


behind closed doors

by carinam



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, But major 999 spoilers, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Mature rating might be a bit too strict but subject matter is kinda grim so just in case, Mentions of burning alive, No spoilers for ztd or vlr, Safe Ending, Spoilers, Subtle but present enough that I feel the need to warn for it, other characters not mentioned in tags, reference to suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 10:37:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20152249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carinam/pseuds/carinam
Summary: During the safe ending, after Junpei Snake and Seven go through door 9 after Ace, there's a period of time where Akane and Aoi are alone together. I wonder what kind of interactions they'd have in Akane's last hour alive?





	behind closed doors

If there had been anyone left in the hospital room to watch them, they'd be startled by how the two transformed the moment the screeching of the closing doors stopped.

There had been a distance between them before, the air of a well intentioned but ultimately not too invested stranger doing his reluctant duty to help out a strange vulnerable girl. But now that had all changed and the distance was closed. The furious tension in his body had disappeared, and he collapsed into her, holding her tight against him as they both leaned back against an uncomfortable hospital bed. For her part, the weak expression on her face turned to something no less pained, but resigned and valiant, a far cry from the flustered frail front she'd been putting on. 

With no audience, there was no Santa and June, no cocky rude punk or frightened naive girl. All that was left was two siblings, holding each other with a tenderness that seemed out of place in this cold bloody room.

Aoi coughed uncomfortably as he gently moved his sister, rearranging so her weight would be against him not the uncomfortable edge of the metal bed. He looked away from her as he spoke with a tone that would be shockingly unanimated for anyone who'd spent the last hours listening to him spit with anger and condensation. 

"Does it... Always feel like this then?"

With confusion Akane stared at him. "Not as much," Her voice was strained, and he tightened his grip without noticing at the sound of it. "I've had lots of fevers before but they haven't been... Well..." She struggled for words, clutching at her head. 

"I didn't mean that," he sighed. "I meant... The realisation that you're on the wrong path, and there's nothing you can do to change it... Does it always feel so..."

"Bad?"

"I was going to say _shit_," he laughed hollowly. 

"I mean..." She considered her words. "You knew before now didn't you? The moment he chose door 5 you knew this wasn't the timeline where-"

"Yeah I knew we'd failed."

"This isn't a failure Aoi. You know that. It's not..." She winced, Aoi unaware of what particular pain was causing it. "It's not pleasant but... It's necessary. So we can get the best possible outcome, us letting this happen is needed."

He was still avoiding eye contact. "I know that... And yeah I knew you... Weren't going to make it through this but..." He trailed off. It wouldn't be right to tell her that. She was going through enough right now, he shouldn't burden her with something like this.

Not that hiding it did any good anyway. The days where he could keep _anything_ from her were long gone, and when he finally looked back at Akane her eyes were filled with sadness and compassion. 

"But you didn't know that you would."

He really should have. He knew exactly what outcome each set of decisions Junpei could make would lead to, years of memorisation had it all sorted. But ever since Junpei had picked door 6 he'd been moving on autopilot, working to drop the right hints, give the right rehearsed speeches, be in the right places, react the right way. It wasn't until now that he had time to just sit there and let it sink in that he was left in the worst possible timeline.

That wasn't fair. Akane was right, this was necessary, essential even. Junpei had to see and figure out the things only this timeline could tell them. To save Akane what was happening right now was unavoidable. But rationalising it like that did nothing to make him any more ok with the fact that of all possible fates this was the one he'd have. 

Aoi had been willing to do a lot to save his sister, almost anything. He'd let himself be stabbed, hacked to death with an axe, dedicate years of his youth to perfecting this game, making sure everything was in place, every person hired could be trusted, every trace that could possibly lead others to interfere was covered, every yen they squeezed out of the stock market properly spent. Kidnapping innocent people, killing not so innocent people, he'd do it all, and if he ever doubted what he was doing he'd swallow his anxieties and keep playing the ever loyal, ever obedient assistant. If it was necessary to save her, then he was willing to do anything she asked of him.

But living in a world without her might be something he couldn't do. 

He really should have been prepared for this. It wasn't like he was deluded enough to think there wouldn't be some version of him who had to deal with this, but he'd never really processed that it would be... Him... 

He was doing all this to get that perfect outcome after all, it only followed that all this work would pay off and he'd be there driving away with his sister truly safe for the first time in 9 years, not sitting here helplessly watching her burn alive. It was hard not to despise whatever version of him was a lucky enough bastard to get that happy ending.

His spiralling hateful thoughts were broken by Akane's coughs as she tried to speak. "I'm sorry... I wish I could..." More coughs, that were beginning to sound like she was choking. "I wish I could say it'll be ok..."

How could she be worrying about him right now? How could he be  _ making _ her worry about him? He could feel her heart thumping against him with a rhythm so rapid and irregular it made his own hurt. Sweat was pouring down her, and with Junpei gone there was no reason for those fearful shivers to be fake. Why was it like this, why was she the one trying to look out for him? When had he stopped being her protective guardian, carrying all the burdens she didn't have to know about? When had those presents from Santa each year become nothing more than a symbolic gesture, a shallow attempt to pretend  _ something _ hadn't changed?

He'd held out hope that Akane still believed in Santa, that some of that childish naivety remained in her, but only an hour or so before, he'd given up on that lie. He didn't know why he felt compelled to tell Junpei that he had been her Santa, any other anecdote would have worked just as well. She'd avoided eye contact as he described it all, as if trying to pretend she couldn't hear what he was saying. It occurred to him that she must have been doing this for years, if Junpei had heard it, then she'd heard it 9 years ago. In the end it was just another thing she'd done for him, letting him feel like he was doing something. What did a paradoxical omniscient mastermind need of a Santa? 

Well none of that mattered now. 

"Hey hey it's ok." He gently stroked her hair, trying to ignore the sweat that coated it, or the way his hand almost burnt as he touched her. "Don't think about any of that. Just..." Just do what? What was she supposed to do? Just hold tight as she burnt alive? "Don't think about any of that ok?"

She attempted a smile, but there wasn't any joy in it. "Ok..." 

He should've thought of something to tell her, this was his last chance, god this was the last time he'd ever... 

But what could he say? Anything he could think of would only make this all so much worse. They sat there in a silence that dragged on, but also seemed to go too fast, each irregular heartbeat a reminder of another second or so less time they'd ever have together. When the silence was broken, his reaction was one of dread, not relief. 

"Jumpy must be in the incinerator by now..." 

She was right. So close, right where he needed to be, but so torturously unaware of what he needed to do, what his entire purpose for being here was. Aoi couldn't help but hate him. 

"We need to be ready..."

Yeah. They did. There were a few more things they needed to do, otherwise that other Akane couldn't be saved. The one he'd never get to see. 

"Ok. Let me know if I'm hurting you..." It was a pointless instruction, she was no doubt hurting so much that anything he did would be indistinguishable. Still, when he bent down to pick her up, he handled her with the delicacy of an artist carrying a glass vase. Cradling her to his chest he moved slowly, each step even and focused, his hold on her completely secure despite her constant trembling.

It wasn't something he'd practiced. While every other part of this game had been rehearsed hundreds of times by the two of them, this was not something he'd wanted to be ready for. Still, from the grace with which he moved, you'd think he had. Weaving through the hospital beds, carefully opening heavy doors with his feet, and unlocking various doors and elevators with the various keys he had hidden on him, all without ever changing the position he carried Akane in. When she started speaking it was hard to hear her faint voice over the droning of the elevator. 

"When this is done, will you..?" 

He knew what she was trying to ask, and there was no way she should know the true answer to that question. She'd see through any lie he told in a second though, so he answered a different one instead. 

"I'll make sure Junpei gets out safe. Seven and Lotus too. Last thing you'll see is him getting knocked out right? There's no reason for him to have to go through anything else, he'll wake up back in his bed like nothing happened, just like we planned."

They had planned it, which was why she hadn't asked. With a sad nod, she gave up on her real question. Which meant she'd figured it out herself. Which meant he'd failed again.

The doors of the elevator opened, and he continued his careful path down the corridor to the chapel. It felt wrong to put her on the floor, but it wasn't like the coffin was an alternative he liked any more. Carefully he put her down, trying to ignore the way she was beginning to convulse. 

"Ao- aoi" Her speech was so slurred now that he could barely make out his own name. Ace was probably burning alive right at this moment. He was glad. "St-stay with me... Pl... ease" 

For her sake or his own? He didn't know. He'd never get a chance to know. 

"Of course..." He sat down next to her and softly lifted her head up and rested it on his lap. For every shake, he would stroke her hair, a useless gesture that was the closest to comfort he could provide. It took all his restraint not to grip too tightly, clinging to her like if he held on enough she wouldn't turn to ash in his arms.

It wouldn't be long until he had to leave. If he didn't go to the captain's quarters and give Junpei that final message from Zero then it would all be for nothing. It was the last thing he had to do for her, the last gift he'd be able to give her.

But for as long as he could, this one last time, he'd stay at her side. 

**Author's Note:**

> According to Uchikoshi's description of Akane she still believes in Santa, but like I mentioned in this fic, she definitely knows Aoi was her Santa. Make of that what you will...


End file.
